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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jan 18, 2009 13:15:17 GMT -5
It was done, just a few minutes before Michael had been able to turn in the rewritten essay. He heaved another relieved sigh and leaned back in his seat on a wide windowsill. He had a little bit of a break before his next class, not enough to go looking for Dare, but too long to just head to the dungeons. His eyes closed and he crossed his arms in the crook made by his bent legs and his torso, his cloak bundled around him against the cold that seeped through the window. There were more essays that needed done, another due the same time the next week, but he was able to relax just for a few minutes.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jan 18, 2009 13:26:19 GMT -5
Markise almost missed Michael entirely. He didn't do much looking around anymore, just walking straight from one destination to another, deep in thought. It was uncomfortable being so withdrawn and alone, but he didn't have any choice. Well, other than on Friday nights.
He happened to be thinking about Dare and that potion, though. He knew he'd lost Dare, but it bothered him so much that he couldn't move past it. What could he do, though? Dare wouldn't listen to him, he apparently never had, or at least not as attentively as Markise had always thought.
The shadow that fell over him from the block in the window's light wouldn't have been enough on its own. He'd have given it a flicker of attention and gone on. But during that flicker, he got a flash of a familiar shade of deep red. Even then he might have gone on, except his mind was on Dare. Markise paused, hitched his bag up on his shoulder, and turned toward the window seat and Michael.
"Um, Michael? Hi. Do you have a few minutes?" He couldn't forget everything Dare had said about Michael, but any lingering misgivings didn't matter right now.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jan 18, 2009 13:30:59 GMT -5
The voice didn't immediately click in Michael's mind, but after a moment he blinked his eyes open and picked his head up off of the wall to look over at Markise. "Yes, I do," he said, pulling his legs a little closer to his body as a silent indication that Markise could sit if he wanted. He remembered Markise's reaction to the engagement, remembered the last time they had talked, and he told himself to focus on those things other than the first few conversations they had had.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jan 18, 2009 13:36:19 GMT -5
Markise hesitated, but he went ahead and sat anyway. He needed to try to be friendly with Michael, especially considering he was about to plunge into taboo and bring up personal stuff. He leaned forward a bit, setting his book bag down on the ground, then looking either way down the corridor. This was not something anyone needed to overhear.
When he straightened, he glanced aside at Michael, then looked down at his fingernails, as though suddenly very interested in them. "I talked to Dare at the club the other night," he said. He hoped Michael already knew he'd been stopping by the DJ booth, or he'd just kicked himself in the pants with that.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jan 18, 2009 13:40:05 GMT -5
Michael watched Markise in interest, even if he couldn't push down all of the insecurities he felt when reminded that Markise had been visiting Dare at work. He nodded, "Okay." It felt like an introduction, not something he really needed to comment on, so he waited. What had happened that Markise felt the need to tell Michael about that Dare hadn't?
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jan 18, 2009 13:45:09 GMT -5
"I don't even know why we started fighting, but his mom came up and he got really pissed." Markise blinked and looked up, glancing aside at Michael. "I called him emotionally constipated," he said, then shook his head and went back to inspecting his well-manicured hands. "Anyway, a few things came up and he ended up going after some potion in a flask in his bag. Not even a vial of it, a whole flask and it wasn't see-through so I don't know what was in it. He wouldn't tell me either." Again Markise looked aside at Michael, but he didn't glance away this time. He wanted to see what Michael had to say about that.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jan 18, 2009 13:49:09 GMT -5
Michael's eyes dropped. He wasn't sure if Dare knew, but Michael had caught on to the potions Dare used. He just...chose to pretend it wasn't happening, that it wasn't a big deal. His arms shifted underneath the cloak and he licked his lips before he spoke. "It's nothing important," he said softly, silently cursing the loss of his ability to lie as easily as he had been able to years before.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jan 18, 2009 13:55:42 GMT -5
Markise's brows drew together. It was pretty much what Dare had said, too. Markise might have believed Michael if he didn't look so uncomfortable about it, and if Dare hadn't been so defensive. But the fact that they wouldn't tell him scared the hell out of him. "If he's sick, I want to know," Markise said, his voice firm. His mind jumped straight to the mystery illness that had killed Dare's mother and that Silver had somehow survived, though he was still fighting it. "If he's got what Silver's got..." He couldn't finish saying it, not with the possible conclusion.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jan 18, 2009 13:59:20 GMT -5
Michael's eyes shot up to Markise and he shook his head, "No, no, he's not sick. It just...helps him sleep." For the most part, anyway. There was more than just the sleeping potion, which wouldn't have made any sense for Dare to take at the club, but it was mostly to let him sleep even with everything else. But if Dare hadn't told Markise, then Michael had no right to.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jan 18, 2009 14:07:16 GMT -5
That was a wash of relief, though Markise still worried. But at least it didn't sound fatal. Markise's tongue slipped out against his lips for a moment as he tried to put things together. As far as he knew, Dare had never used a sleeping potion before, and he would think that he'd have known. "He wasn't going to sleep," Markise said. He didn't want to get on Michael's bad side, but he didn't understand. "Whatever it was, when he took it he..." Markise paused to find his words. "I don't know, he's never been into drinking, but that's what it looked like. He was at work. Are you sure that's what it was?" he asked, looking aside at Michael.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jan 18, 2009 14:11:22 GMT -5
Michael nodded and looked away from Markise again. "It's just a potion, really, it's nothing. It just helps him, he's been through a lot," he said, feeling as though he were trying to convince himself more than Markise. He had pushed the thoughts away many times since the trip to see his father and had almost been successful. Then Dare had had that nightmare and Michael had to start all over again convincing himself it was nothing.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jan 18, 2009 14:23:27 GMT -5
Markise's brows knitted again. "But... I mean, he wasn't on any potions when his mom died, he's never been into that stuff. He's like, well he's a Gryffindor, you know? Deal with it yourself type?" He didn't know if he was making sense. "I just... I don't understand and I know it's none of my business, but..." He sighed and shook his head, closing his eyes tight. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business." One hand reached up to wipe gently at his eyes. It was so hard trying to accept that he didn't have a place in Dare's life anymore.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jan 18, 2009 14:29:28 GMT -5
"I can't tell him to stop," Michael said softly, shaking his head. "And...you're his friend, you have a right to worry," he added, though he kept his eyes down in fear of feeling the jealousy boil up again when it wasn't needed. "It's not good for him to do it, but he needs it," he thought out loud, thoughts that had gone through his head plenty of times over the months. "He's fine," he repeated, as though telling himself that would make it true.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jan 18, 2009 14:35:37 GMT -5
Markise shook his head, wiping at his eyes again before opening them. He looked up at the stone ceiling, trying to keep anything of his stupid allergies from showing too badly. "I'm nothing anymore," he said softly, his voice cracking just a bit at the words. "And it's fine, I shouldn't be. He's happy and that's what matters." It hurt so much to say that. "That's why I'm talking to you, he wouldn't listen to me." Markise looked aside at Michael again, just for a moment. "If it's not good for him, whatever it is, then he shouldn't do it. If anyone can... fix whatever it is, you've got a hell of a lot better chance than I do."
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jan 18, 2009 14:40:42 GMT -5
"I just want him to be able to sleep through the night," Michael said, still shaking his head and looking down at his cloak-covered knees. "And if I make him stop, then he can't." He wanted to believe that Dare was okay, that Dare was perfectly fine and happy. He didn't want to bring up anything that had happened to lead to Dare taking the potions. He wasn't paying enough attention to Markise to notice the allergies, and the idea of bringing up bad memories by confronting Dare was too much to hear the rest of what Markise had said.
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